writer | naturalist | lover of parks & wild lands

Welcome to Winter in Yellowstone

by cathybell on December 5, 2013

First, a hearty thank you to all the new followers of the last week! Being featured on Freshly Pressed was an honor, and I’m pleased that so many of you have found meaning in what I post here on Homelandscapes.

As many of you know, I recently moved from Badlands National Park to Yellowstone National Park, where I will spend the winter as a park ranger stationed at the Old Faithful Visitor Center. This is a homecoming of sorts for me. Though I have loved every place I’ve ever lived, it is Yellowstone—and Old Faithful in particular—that feels most like home. It is the place where I belong. From now through mid-March, I will be posting regular updates to give you a glimpse into winter life in the world’s first national park.

Very few of Yellowstone’s 2.2 million annual visitors come to the park in the winter months. A trip in winter is both more expensive and more logistically complicated than a summer trip because most of Yellowstone’s roads are closed to wheeled vehicles. You can’t just hop in your car and drive to Old Faithful in December the way that you might in July.

Because of these limitations, I’m excited to bring you here for a virtual winter visit to the park. I’ll be sharing photos of the dazzling beauty of Yellowstone in winter, tidbits of natural history, and stories of a quirky lifestyle that few people today can even imagine.

Some personal reflections may pop up, too. This is a turbulent time in my life due to the recent disintegration of a seven-year relationship. The breakup spurred me to rethink my priorities. Coming back to Yellowstone is one result. Planning a through-hike of the Appalachian Trail for 2014 is another.

I hope you enjoy journeying along with me in the coming months!

As ever, please remember that this blog is a personal project. My opinions are just that—my opinions—and do not constitute official statements reflecting the position of my employer. Writings, photography, and other content are copyright Cathy Bell / Homelandscapes unless otherwise noted. Please give credit where credit is due.

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Looking forward to the trip with you Cathy, can’t wait to see Yellowstone through your eyes, and can’t even begin to imagine how wonderful working in places like that might be :) I hope it helps with your recovery, Mike

I hope that your walk with nature in such a special place will always lift your spirits, Cathy, and bring you much peace and joy….I really appreciate what you share in your writing. As an urban dweller in Philadelphia, PA, it’s not easy to find folks to talk about experiences in nature. By sharing your stories you bring healing to readers such as myself who don’t get to see what you do everyday.